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Photographic 

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dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
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plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commandant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  salon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUlVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

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film6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

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1 

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THE 


LOYALTY  Am  DEVOTIOIf 


OF 


;  V. 


COLORED    AMERICANS 


'4      ■    ■ 


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IN  THH 


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•*l 


KEYOLUTION^  AND  WAR  OF  1812. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED    BY    R.    P.   WALLCUT, 
*  KO.   821   WASHINOTON  STREET. 

1861. 


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THE  LIBRARY 


THh  UNlVERSnV  ()!• 
BRniSli  COLUMBIA 


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*     ?      > 


I. 


« 


tr^' 


»■■:    - 


•  -iv 


PATRIOTISM  OF  COLORED  AMERICANS. 


-•:  V. 


^ 


At  a  Mass  Convention  of  the  colored  citizens  of  Ohio, 
held  at  Cleveland,  Sept.  9th,  1852,  the  orator  of  the  occa- 
sion, William  H.  Day,  Esq.,  in  the  course  of  his  address, 
said :  — 

"  '  Of  the  services  and  sufferings  of  the  colored  soldiers  of 
the  Revolution,'  says  one  writer,  'no  attempt  has,  to  our 
knowledge,  been  made  to  preserve  a  record.'  This  is  mainly 
true.  Their  history  is  not  written.  It  lies  upon  the  soil 
watered  with  their  blood:  who  shall  gather  it?  It  rests 
with  their  bones  in  the  charnel-house :  who  shall  exhume  it  ? 
Their  bodies,  wrapped  in  sacks,  have  dropped  from  the  decks 
where  trod  a  Decatur  and  a  Barry,  in  a  calm  and  silence 
broken  only  by  the  voice  of  the  man  of  God  —  ♦  We  commit 
this  body  to  the  deep; '  and  the  plunge  and  the  ripples  passing, 
the  sea  has  closed  over  their  memory  forever.  Ah !  we  have 
waited  on  shore  and  have  seen  the  circle  of  that  ripple.  We 
know,  at  least,  where  they  went  down;  and  so  much,  to-day, 
we  come  to  record. 

"  We  have  had  in  Ohio,  until  very  recently,  and  if  they 
are  living,  have  here  now,  a  few  colored  men  who  have  thus 
connected  us  with  the  past.  I  have  been  told  of  one,  recent- 
ly, in  the  southern  portion  of  the  State. 

"  Another,  of  whom  we  all  know,  has  resided,  for  many 
years,  near  Urbana,  Champagne  county.  He  was  invited  to, 
and  expected  at,  this  meeting.  Father  Stanup  (as  he  is  fa- 
miliarly called)  has  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  He  has  been 
afflicted  with  recent  sickness,  and  it  may  have  prostrated  him 
permanently.     The  frosts  of  a  hundred  winters  will  shrivel 


r 


■^A\ 


WH!Ha 


PATRIOTISM    OF   COLORED   AMERICANS. 


any  oak ;  the  blasts  of  a  century  will  try  any  vitality.  The 
aged  soldier  must  soon  die.  O,  that  liberty,  for  which  he 
fought,  might  be  bequeathed  to  his  descendants  !  The  reali- 
zation of  that  idea  would  smooth  his  dying  pillow,  and  make 
the  transit  from  this  to  another  sphere  a  pleasant  passage.  I 
am  credibly  informed,  that  the  age  of  Mr.  Stanup  is  one  hun- 
dred and  nine ;  that  he  was  with  General  Washington  ;  and 
that  his  position,  in  this  respect,  has  been  recognized  by  offi- 
cers of  the  Government."  •; :  f  r    . 

Further  on,  Mr.  Day  jSaid :  —  "I  think  we  have  demon- 
strated this  point,  That  if  colored  people  are  among  your 
Pompeys,  and  CuflFees,  and  Uncle  Toms,  they  are  also  among 
your  heroes.  They  have  been  on  Lakes  Erie  and  Cham- 
plain,  upon  the  Mediterranean,  in  Florida  with  the  Creeks,  at 
Schuylkill,  at  Hickory  Ground,  at  New  Orleans,  at  Horse 
Shoe  Bend,  and  at  Pensacola.  The  presence  of  some  of 
them  here  to-day  is  a  living  rebuke  to  this  land." 

Addressing  the  large  crowd  of  wliite  citizens  present,  Mr. 
Day  said:  —  "We  can  be,  as  we  have  always  been,  faithful 
subjects,  powerful  allies,  as  the  documents  read  here  to-day 
prove  :  an  enemy  in  your  midst,  we  would  be  more  powerful 
still.  We  ask  for  liberty;  liberty  here — liberty  on  the 
Chalmette  Plains  —  liberty  wherever  floats  the  American 
flag.  We  demand  for  the  sons  of  the  men  who  fought  for 
you,  equal  privileges.  We  bring  to  you,  to-day,  the  tears  of 
our  fathers, — each  tear  is  a  volume,  and  speaks  to  you.  To 
you,  then,  we  appeal.  We  point  you  to  their  blood,  sprinkled 
upon  your  door-posts  in  your  political  midnight,  that  the  De- 
stroying Angel  might  pass  over.  We  take  you  to  their  sep- 
ulchres, to  see  the  bond  of  honor  between  you  and  them  kept, 
on  their  part,  faithfully,  even  until  death."         .  ,  ^-  ^      , 

The  following  extracts  from  an  address  delivered,  in  1842, 
before  the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Anti-Slavery 
Society,  at  Francestown,  N.  H.,  by  Dr.  Harris,  a  Revolution- 
ary veteran,  will  be  read  with  great  interest :  — 

-  "  I  sympathize  deeply,"  said  Dr.  Harris,  "  in  the  objects  of 
this  Society.  I  fought,  my  hearers,  for  the  liberty  which 
you  enjoy.  It  surprises  me  that  every  man  does  not  rally  at 
the  sound  of  liberty,  and  array  himself  with  those  who  are 


«^ 


PATRIOTISM    OV  COLORED   AMERICANS. 


V 


laboring  to  abolish  slavery  in  our  country.  The  very  mention 
of  it  warms  the  blood  in  my  veins,  and,  old  as  I  am,  makes 
me  feel  something  of  the  spirit  and  impulses  of  70. 

"  Then  liberty  meant  something.  Then  liberty,  independ- 
ence, freedom,  were  in  every  man's  mouth.  They  were  the 
sounds  at  which  they  rallied,  and  under  which  they  fought 
and  bled.  They  were  the  words  which  encouraged  and 
cheered  them  through  their  hunger,  and  nakedness,  and 
fatigue,  in  cold  and  in  heat.  The  word  slavery  then  filled 
their  hearts  with  horror.  They  fought  because  they  would 
not  be  slaves.  Those  whom  liberty  has  cost  nothing,  do  not 
know  how  to  prize  it. 

"  I  served  in  the  Revolution,  in  General  Washington's 
army,  three  years  under  one  enlistment.  I  have  stood  in  bat- 
tle where  balls,  like  hail,  were  flying  all  around  mc.  The 
man  standing  next  to  me  was  shot  by  my  side — his  blood 
spouted  upon  ray  clothes,  which  I  wore  for  weeks.  My 
nearest  blood,  except  that  which  runs  in  my  veins,  was  shed 
for  liberty.  My  only  brother  was  shot  dead  instantly  in  the 
Revolution.  Liberty  is  dear  to  my  heart;  I  cannot  endure 
the  thought  that  my  countrymen  should  be  slaves. 

"  When  stationed  in  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  the  regi- 
ment to  which  I  belonged  was  once  ordered  to  what  was 
called  a  flanking  position, — that  is,  upon  a  place  which  the 
enemy  must  pass  in  order  to  come  round  in  our  rear,  to  drive 
us  from  the  fort.  This  pass  was  every  thing,  both  to  them 
and  to  us;  of  course,  it  was  a  ppst  of  imminent  danger. 
They  attacked  us  with  great  fury,  but  were  repulsed.  They 
reinforced,  and  attacked  us  again,  with  more  vigor  and  deter- 
mination, and  again  were  repulsed.  Again  they  reinforced, 
and  attacked  us  the  third  time,  with  the  most  desperate  cour- 
age and  resolution,  but  a  third  time  were  repulsed.  The 
contest  was  fearful.  Our  position  was  hotly  disputed  and  as 
hotly  maintained. 

"But  I  have  another  object  in  view  in  stating  these  facts. 
I  would  not  be  trumpeting  my  own  acts;  the  only  reason  why 
I  have  named  myself  in  connection  with  this  transaction  is, 
to  show  that  T  know  whereof  I  affirm.  There  was  a  black 
regiment  in  the  same  situation.  Yes,  a  regiment  of  ne(/roes, 
fighting  for  our  liberty  and  independence, — not  a  white  man 
among  tiiem  but  the  officers, — stationed  in  this  same  danger- 


6 


PATUI0TI8M   Of    COLOKED    AMERICANS. 


0U8  and  responsible  position.  Had  they  been  unfaithful,  or 
given  way  before  the  enemy,  all  would  have  been  lost.  Three 
times  in  succession  were  they  attacked,  with  most  desperate 
valor  and  fury,  by  well  disciplined  and  veteran  troops,  and 
three  times  did  they  successfully  repel  the  assault,  and  thus 
preserve  our  army  from  capture.  They  fought  through  the 
war.  They  were  brave,  hardy  troops.  They  helped  to  gain 
our  liberty  and  independence. 

"Now,  the  war  is  over,  our  freedom  is  gained  —  what  is  to 
be  done  with  these  colored  soldiers,  who  have  shed  their  best 
blood  in  its  defence?  Must  they  be  sent  off  out  of  the  coun- 
try, because  they  are  black?  or  must  they  bo  sent  back  into 
slavery,  now  they  have  risked  their  lives  and  shed  their  blood 
to  secure  the  freedom  of  their  masters  ?  I  ask,  what  became 
of  these  noble  colored  soldiers?  Many  of  them,  I  fear,  were 
taken  back  to  the  South,  and  doomed  to  the  fetter  and  the 
chain. 

"And  why  is  it,  that  the  colored  inhabitants  of  our  nation, 
born  in  this  country,  and  entitled  to  all  the  rights  of  freemen, 
are  held  in  slavery?  Why,  but  because  they  are  black? 
I  have  often  thought  that,  should  God  see  fit,  by  a  miracle,  to 
change  their  color,  straighten  their  hair,  and  give  their  fea- 
tures and  complexion  the  appearance  of  the  whites,  slavery 
would  not  continue  a  year.  No,  you  would  then  go  and 
abolish  it  with  the  sword,  if  it  were  not  speedily  done  with- 
out. But  is  it  a  suitable  cause  for  making  men  slaves,  be- 
cause God  has  given  them  such  a  color,  such  hair  and  such 
features,  as  he  saw  fit?"  ■         -4 


Dr.  Clarke,  in  the  Convention  which  revised  the  Constitu- 
tion of  New  York,  in  1821,  speaking  of  the  colored  inhabi- 
tants of  the  8tate,  said:  — 

"  My  honorable  colleague  has  told  us,  that,  as  the  colored 
people  are  not  required  to  contribute  to  the  protection  or  de- 
fence of  the  State,  they  are  not  entitled  to  an  equal  partici- 
pation in  the  privileges  of  its  citizens.  But,  Sir,  whose  fault 
is  this  ?  Have  they  ever  refused  to  do  military  duty  when 
called  upon  ?  It  is  haughtily  asked.  Who  will  stand  in  the 
ranks  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  a  negro  ?  I  answer.  No  one, 
in  time  of  peace;  no  one,  when  your  musters  and  trainings 


PATRIOTISM   OP   COLORED    AMERICANS. 


arc  looked  upon  as  mere  pastimes;  no  ono,  when  your  militia 
will  shoulder  their  muskets  and  inarch  to  their  trainings  with 
as  much  unconcern  as  they  would  go  to  a  sumptuous  enter- 
tainment or  a  splendid  ball.  But,  Sir,  when  the  hour  of 
danger  approaches,  your  white  'militia'  are  just  as  willing 
that  the  man  of  color  should  be  set  up  as  a  mark  to  be  shot 
at  by  the  enemy,  as  to  be  set  up  themselves.  In  the  War  of 
the  llevolution,  these  people  helped  to  fight  your  battles  by 
land  and  by  sea.  Some  of  your  States  were  glad  to  turn  out 
corps  of  colored  men,  and  to  stand  *  shoulder  to  shoulder ' 
with  them. 

"  In  your  late  war,  they  contributed  largely  towards  some 
of  your  most  splendid  victories.  On  Lakes  Erie  and  Cham- 
plain,  where  your  fleets  triumphed  over  a  foe  superior  in 
numbers  and  engines  of  death,  they  were  manned,  in  a  largo 
proportion,  with  men  of  color.  And,  in  this  very  house,  in 
the  fall  of  1814,  a  bill  passed,  receiving  the  approbation  of 
all  the  branches  of  your  government,  authorizing  the  Gover- 
nor to  accept  the  services  of  a  corps  of  two  thousand  free 
people  of  color.  Sir,  these  were  times  which  tried  men's 
souls.  In  these  times,  it  was  no  sporting  matter  to  bear 
arms.  These  were  times,  when  a  man  who  shouldered  his 
musket  did  not  know  but  he  bared  his  bosom  to  receive  a 
death  wound  from  the  enemy  ere  he  laid  it  aside;  and,  in 
these  times,  these  people  were  found  as  ready  and  as  willing 
to  volunteer  in  your  service  as  any  other.  They  were  not 
compelled  to  go ;  they  were  not  drafted.  No ;  your  pride 
had  placed  them  beyond  your  compulsory  power.  But  there 
was  no  necessity  for  its  exercise ;  they  were  volunteers ;  yes. 
Sir,  volunteers  to  defend  that  very  country  from  the  inroads 
and  ravages  of  a  ruthless  and  vindictive  foe,  which  had 
treated  them  with  insult,  degradation  and  slavery. 

"  Volunteers  are  the  best  of  soldiers.  Give  me  the  men, 
whatever  be  their  complexion,  that  willingly  volunteer,  and 
not  those  who  are  compelled  to  turn  out.  Such  men  do  >jot 
fight  from  necessity,  nor  from  mercenary  motives,  but  from 
principle." 

The  Hon.  Tristam  Burges,  of  Rhode  Island,  in  a  speech 
in  Congress,  January,  1828,  said:  —  "At  the  commencement 
of  the  Kevolutionary  War,  Rhode  Island  had  a  number  of 


»  PATRIOTISM   OP   COLORED   AMERICANS. 

HlavcH.  A  regiment  of  them  were  enli.stod  into  the  Conti- 
nental service,  und  no  braver  men  met  the  enemy  in  battle ; 
but  not  one  of  them  was  permitted  to  be  a  soldier  until  ho 
had  first  been  made  a  freeman." 

*'  In  Rhode  Island,"  says  Governor  Eustis,  in  his  able 
speech  against  slavery  in  Missouri,  12th  December,  1820, 
"the  blacks  formed  an  entire  regiment,  and  they  discharged 
their  duty  with  zeal  and  fidelity.  The  gallant  defence  of 
Red  Bank,  in  which  the  black  regiment  bore  a  part,  is  among 
the  proofs  of  their  valor." 

In  this  contest,  it  will  be  recollected  that  four  hundred 
men  met  and  repulsed,  after  a  terrible  and  sanguinary  strug- 
gle, fifteen  hundred  Hessian  troops,  headed  by  Count  Donop. 
The  glory  of  the  defence  of  Red  Rank,  which  has  been  pro- 
nounced one  of  the  most  heroic  actions  of  the  war,  belongs  in 
reality  to  black  men ;  yet  who  now  hears  them  spoken  of  in 
connection  with  it?  Among  the  traits  which  distinguished 
the  black  regiment  was  devotion  to  their  officers.  In  the 
attack  made  upon  the  American  lines,  near  Croton  river,  on 
the  13th  of  May,  1781,  Col.  Greene,  the  commander  of  the 
regiment,  was  cut  down  and  mortally  wounded;  but  the 
sabres  of  the  enemy  only  reached  him  through  the  bodies  of 
his  faithful  guard  or'  blacks,  who  gathered  around  him  to 
protect  him,  and  every  one  of  wJwm  was  killed. 

The  celebrated  Charles  Pinckney,  of  South  Carolina,  in 
his  speech  on  the  Missouri  question,  and  in  defence  of  the 
slave  representation  of  the  South,  made  the  following  admis- 
sions :  — 

"At  the  commencement  of  our  Revolutionary  struggle 
with  Great  Britain,  all  the  States  had  this  class  of  people. 
The  New  England  States  had  numbers  of  them  ;  the  North- 
ern and  Middle  States  had  still  more,  although  less  than  the 
Southern.  They  all  entered  into  the  fjreat  contest  vnth  similar 
views.  Like  brethren,  they  contended  for  the  benefit  of  the 
vjhole,  leaving  to  each  the  right  to  pursue  its  happiness  in  its 
own  way.  They  thus  nobly  toiled  and  bled  together,  really 
like  brethren.  And  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that,  notwith- 
standing, in  the  course  of  the  Revolution,  the  Southern 
States  were  continually  overrun  by  the  British,  and  every 


PATRIOTISM   OF   COLORKb   AMKRiCANS. 


y 


■ 


1 


negro  in  them  had  an  opportunity  of  running  away,  yet  few 
did.  They  then  were,  as  they  still  are,  us  valuable  a  part  of 
our  popuhition  to  the  Union  as  any  other  e([ual  number  of 
inhabitants.  They  were  in  nunjorous  instances  the  pioneers, 
and  in  all,  the  laborers  of  your  armies.  To  their  hands  were 
owing  the  erection  of  the  yreatest  part  of  the  fortifications 
raised  for  the  protection  of  our  country.  Fort  Moultrie  gave, 
at  an  early  period  of  the  inexperience  and  untried  valor  of 
our  citizens,  immortality  to  American  arms.  And  in  the 
Northern  States,  numerous  bodies  of  them  were  enrolled, 
and  fought,  side-by-sidc  with  the  whites,  the  battles  of  the 
Revolution." 

Said  Martindale,  of  New  YorV  in  Congress,  22d  of  Janu- 
ary, 1828:  —  "Slaves,  or  negroes  v,ho  had  been  slaves,  were 
enlisted  as  soldiers  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution ;  and  I  my- 
self saw  a  battalion  of  them,  as  fine  martial-looking  men  as 
I  ever  saw,  attached  to  the  Northern  army,  in  the  last  war, 
on  its  march  from  Plattsburg  to  Sackett's  Harbor." 

The  Burlington  Gazette  gives  the  following  account  of  an 
aged  colored  resident  of  that  city,  which  will  be  read  with 
much  interest :  — 

"  The  attention  of  many  of  our  citizens  has,  doubtless, 
been  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  an  old  colored  man,  who 
might  have  been  seen,  sitting  in  front  of  his  residence,  in 
East  Union  street,  respectfully  raising  his  hat  to  those  who 
might  be  passing  by.  His  attenuated  frame,  his  silvert^d 
head,  his  feeble  movements,  combine  to  prove  that  he  is  very 
aged;  and  yet,  comparatively  few  oe  aware  that  he  is  among 
the  survivors  of  the  gallant  army  who  fought  for  the  liberticH 
of  our  country,  '  in  the  days  which  tried  men's  souls.'        • 

"  On  Monday  last,  we  stopped  to  speak  to  him,  and  asked 
him  how  old  he  was.  He  asked  the  day  of  the  month,  and, 
upon  being  told  that  it  was  the  24th  of  May,  replied,  with 
trembling  lips,  '  I  am  very  old  —  I  am  a  hundred  years  old 
to-day.' 

"His  name  is  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  he  says  that  he  was 

born  at  the  Black  Horse,  (now  Columbus,)  in  this  county,  in 

the  family  of  John   Hutchin.     He  enlisted  in    a   company 

commanded  by  Capt.  Lowery,  attached  to  the  Second  New 

1* 


r    M 


m 


PATRIOTISM   OF   COLORED   AMERICANS. 


Jersey  Regiment,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Israel  Shreve. 
He  was  at  the  battles  of  Trenton,  Princeton,  Brandywine, 
Monmouth,  and  Yorktown,  at  which  latter  place,  he  told  us, 
he  saw  the  last  man  killed.  Although  his  faculties  are  fail- 
ing, yet  he  relates  many  interesting  reminiscences  of  the 
Revolution.  He  was  with  the  army  at  the  retreat  of  the 
Delaware,  on  the  memorable  crossing  of  the  25th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1776,  and  relates  the  story  of  the  battles  on  the  succeed- 
ing days  with  enthusiasm.  He  gives  the  details  of  the 
march  from  Trenton  to  Princeton,  and  told  us,  with  much 
humor,  that  they  '  knocked  the  British  about  lively '  at  the 
latter  place.  He  was  also  at  the  battle  of  Springfield,  and 
says  that  he  saw  the  house  burning  in  which  Mrs.  Caldwell 
was  shot,  at  Connecticut  Farms." 

I  further  learn,  (says  the  author  of  "  The  Colored  Patriots 
of  the  Revolution,")  that  Cromwell  was  brought  up  a  farmer, 
having  served  his  time  with  The  .las  Hutchins,  Esq.,  his 
maternal  uncle.  He  was,  for  six  years  and  nine  months, 
under  the  immediate  command  of  Washington,  whom  he 
loved  affectionately.  "His  discharge."  says  Dr.  M'Cune 
Smith,  "  at  the  close  of  the  war,  was  in  Washington's  own 
hand-writing,  of  which  he  was  very  proud,  often  speaking  of 
it.  He  received,  annually,  ninety-six  dollars  pe'nsion.  He 
lived  a  long  and  honorable  life.  Had  he  been  of  a  little 
lighter  complexion,  (he  was  just  half  white,)  every  newspa- 
per in  the  land  would  have  been  eloquent  in  praise  of  his 
many  virtues." 


.!««. 


Jack  Grove,  of  Portland,  while  steward  of  a  brig,  sailing 
from  the  West  Indies  to  Portland,  in  1812,  was  taken  by  a 
French  vessel,  whose  commander  placed  a  guard  on  board. 
Jack  urged  his  commander  to  make  an  eiFort  to  retake  the 
vessel,  but  the  captain  saw  no  hope.  Says  Jack,  "  Captain 
McLallan,  I  can  take  her,  if  you  will  let  me  go  ahead."  The 
captain  checked  him,  warning  him  not  to  lisp  such  a  word, — 
there  was  danger  in  it ;  but  Jack,  disappointed,  though  not 
daunted,  rallied  the  men  on  his  own  hook.  Captain  McLellan 
and  the  rest,  inspired  by  his  example,  finally  joined  them,  and 
the  attempt  resulted  in  victory,  Tliey  weighed  anchor,  and 
tqpk  tl^o  vessel  into  Portland, 


Vv 


PATRIOTISM  OP  COLORKD   AMERICANS. 


11 


'.. 


FORMATION  OF  A  COLORED  REGIxMENT  IN  RHODE  ISLAND. 

State  op  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  in 
General  Assembly.     February  Sesaion,  1778. 

Whereas,  for  the  preservation  of  the  rights  and  liberties 
of  the  United  States,  it  is  necessary  that  the  whole  power  of 
Government  should  be  exerted  in  recruiting  the  Continental 
battalions;  and,  whereas.  His  Excellency,  General  Washing- 
ton, hath  inclosed  to  this  State  a  proposal  made  to  him  by 
Brigadier  General  Varnum,  to  enlist  into  the  two  battalions 
raising  by  this  State  such  slaves  as  should  be  willing  to  enter 
into  the  service ;  and,  whereas,  history  affords  us  frequent 
precedents  of  the  wisest,  the  freest  and  bravest  nations  having 
liberated  their  slaves  and  enlisted  them  as  soldiers  to  fight 
in  defence  of  their  country ;  and  also,  whereas,  the  enemy 
have,  with  great  force,  taken  possession  of  the  capital  and  ot 
a  great  part  of  this  State,  and  this  State  is  obliged  to  raise 
a  very  considerable  number  of  troops  for  its  own  immediate 
defence,  whereby  it  is  in  a  manner  rendered  impossible  for 
this  State  to  furnish  recruits  for  the  said  two  battalions  with« 
out  adopting  the  said  measures  so  recommended, — 

It  is  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  every  able-bodied  negro, 
mulatto,  or  Indian  man-slave  in  this  State  may  enlist  into 
either  of  the  said  two  battalions,  to  serve  during  the  continu- 
ance of  the  present  war  with  Groat  Britain; — That  every 
slave  so  enlisting  shall  be  entitled  to  and  receive  all  the  boun- 
ties, wages  and  encouragements  allowed  by  the  Continental 
Congress  to  any  soldiers  eulisting  into  this  service. 

It  is  further  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  every  slave  so  en- 
listing shall,  upon  his  passing  muster  by  Co).  Christopher 
Greene,  be  immediately  discharged  from  the  service  of  his 
master  or  mistress,  and  be  absolutely  free,  as  though  he 
had  never  been  incumbered  with  any  kind  of  servitude 
or  slavery.  And  in  case  such  slave  shall,  by  sickness  or 
otherwise,  be  rendered  unable  to  maintain  himself,  be  shall 
not  be  chargeable  to  his  master  or  mistress,  but  shall  be  sup- 
ported at  the  expense  of  the  State. 

And,  whereas,  slaves  have  been  by  the  laws  deemed  the 
property  of  their  owners,  and  therefore  compensation  ought 
to  be  made  to  the  owners  for  the  loss  of  their  serYi<'e, — ■ 


m 


PATRIOTISM  OF  COLORED  AMERICANS. 


It  is  further  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  there  be  allowed 
and  paid  by  this  State  to  the  owners,  for  every  such  slave  so 
enlisting,  a  sum  according  to  his  worth,  at  a  price  not  exceed- 
ing one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  for  the  most  valuable 
slave,  and  in  proportion  for  a  slave  of  less  value, — provided 
the  owner  of  said  slave  shall  deliver  up  to  the  officer  who 
shall  enlist  him  the  clothes  of  the  said  slave,  or  otherwise  he 
shall  not  be  entitled  to  said  sum. 

And  for  settling  and  ascertaining  the  value  of  such  slaves, — 
It  is  further  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five 
shall  be  appointed,  to  wit, — one  from  each  county,  any  three 
of  whom  to  be  a  quorum, — to  examine  the  slaves  who  shall 
be  so  enlisted,  after  they  shall  have  passed  muster,  and  to  set 
a  price  upon  each  slave,  according  to  his  value  as  aforesaid. 

It  is.  further  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  upon  any  able- 
bodied  negro,  mulatto  or  Indian  slave  enlisting  as  aforesaid, 
the  officer  who  shall  so  enlist  him,  after  he  has  passed  muster 
as  aforesaid,  shall  deliver  a  certificate  thereof  to  the  master 
or  mistress  of  said  negro,  mulatto,  or  Indian  slave,  which 
shall  discharge  him  from  the  service  of  said  master  or  mis- 
tress. 

It  is  further  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  the  committee  who 
shall  estimate  the  value  of  the  slave  aforesaid,  shall  give  a 
certificate  of  the  sum  at  which  he  may  be  valued  to  the  owner 
of  said  slave,  and  the  general  treasurer  of  this  State  is  hereby 
empowered  and  directed  to  give  unto  the  owner  of  said  slave 
his  promissory  note  for  the  sum  of  money  at  which  he  shall 
be  valued  as  aforesaid,  payable  on  demand,  with  interest, — 
which  shall  be  paid  with  the  money  from  Congress. 
•  '  ■  A  true  copy,  examined, 

HENRY  WARD,  Sec'y. 

Among  the  brave  blacks  who  fought  in  the  battles  for 
American  liberty  was  Major  Jefii-ey,  a  Tennesseean,  who, 
during  the  campaign  of  Major-Grcneral  Andrew  Jackson  in 
Mobile,  filled  the  place  of  "  regular  "  among  the  soldiers.  In 
the  charge  made  by  General  Stump  against  the  enemy,  the 
Americans  were  repulsed  and  thrown  into  disorder,  —  Major 
Stump  being  forced  to  retire,  in  a  manner  by  no  means  desi- 
rable, under  the  circumstances.  Major  Jefirey,  who  was  but 
ft  common  soldier,  seeing  the  condition  of  his  comrades,  and 


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PATRIOTISM   OF   COLORED   AMERICANS. 


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comprehending  the  disastrous  results  about  to  befall  them, 
rushed  forward,  mounted  a  horse,  took  command  of  the 
troops,  and,  by  an  heroic  eflfort,  rallied  them  to  the  charge,  — 
completely  routing  the  enemy,  who  left  the  Americans  mas- 
ters of  the  field.  He  at  once  received  from  the  General  the 
title  of  ♦*  Major,"  though  he  could  not,  according  to  the 
American  policy,  so  commission  him.  To  the  day  of  his 
death,  he  was  known  by  that  title  in  Nashville,  where  he 
resided,  and  the  circumstances  which  entitled  him  to  it  were 
constantly  the  subject  of  popular  conversation. 

Major  Jefi"rey  was  highly  respected  by  the  whites  gene- 
rally, and  revered,  in  his  own  neighborhood,  by  all  the  colored 
people  who  knew  him. 

A  few  years  ago,  receiving  an  indignity  from  a  common 
ruffian,  he  was  forced  to  strike  him  in  self-defence ;  for  which 
act,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  slavery  in  that,  as  well  as 
many  other  of  the  slave  States,  he  was  compelled  to  receive, 
on  his  naked  person,  niTie  and  thirty  lashes  with  a  raw  hide  ! 
This,  at  the  age  of  seventy  odd,  after  the  distinguished  ser- 
vices rendered  his  country, — probably  when  the  white  ruffian 
for  whom  he  was  tortured  was  unable  to  raise  an  arm  in  its 
defence,  —  was  more  than  he  could  bear;  it  broke  his  heart, 
and  he  sank  to  rise  no  more,  till  summoned  by  the  b'ast  of 
the  last  trumpet  to  stand  on  the  battle-field  of  the  general 
resurrection. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Barton,  of  the  Rhode  Island  militia, 
planned  a  bold  exploit  for  the  purpose  of  surprising  and 
tiiking  Major-Greneral  Prescott,  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  royal  army  at  Newport.  Taking  with  him,  in  the  night, 
about  forty  men,  in  two  boats,  with  oars  muffled,  he  had  the 
address  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  ships  of  war  and  guard 
boats,  and,  having  arrived  undiscovered  at  the  General's 
quarters,  they  were  taken  for  the  sentinels,  and  the  General 
was  not  alarmed  till  his  captors  were  at  the  door  of  his  lodg- 
ing chamber,  which  was  fast  closed.  A  negro  man,  named 
Prince,  instantly  thrust  his  head  through  the  panel  door,  and 
seized  the  victim  while  in  bed.  The  General's  aid-de-carap 
leaped  from  a  window  undressed,  and  attempted  to  escape, 
but  was  taken,  and,  with  the  General,  brought  off  in  safety.* 


*  Thachor's  Military  .Tonrnal,  August  3,  1777. 


M 


■■'^■,       PATRIOTISM   OP  COLOKED   AMERICANS. 


Swett,  in  his  "  Sketches  of  Bunker  Hill  Battle,"  alludes 
to  the  presence  of  a  colored  man  in  that  fight.  He  says  :  — 
"  Major  Pitcairn  caused  the  first  effusion  of  blood  at  Lex- 
ington. In  that  battle,  his  horse  was  shot  under  him,  while 
he  was  separated  from  his  troops.  With  presence  of  mind, 
he  feigned  himself  slain ;  his  pistols  were  taken  from  his 
holsters,  and  he  was  left  for  dead,  when  he  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  escaped.  He  appeared  at  Bunker  Hill,  and,  says 
the  historian,  '  Among  those  who  mounted  the  works  was  the 
gallant  Major  Pitcairn,  who  exultingly  cried  out,  "  The  day 
is  ours !  "  when  a  black  soldier  named  Salem  shot  him 
through,  and  he  fell.  His  agonized  son  received  him  in  his 
arms,  and  tenderly  bore  him  to  the  boats.'  A  contribution 
was  made  in  the  army  for  the  colored  soldier,  and  he  was  pre- 
sented to  Washington  as  having  performed  this  feat." 

Besides  Salem,  there  were  quite  a  number  of  colored  sol- 
diers at  Bunker  Hill.  Among  them,  Titus  Coburn,  Alexan- 
der Ames,  and  Barzilai  Lew,  all  of  Andover ;  and  also  Cato 
Howe,  of  Plymouth — each  of  whom  received  a  pension.        • 

Samuel  Charlton  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  a 
slave,  in  the  family  of  Mr.  M.,  who  owned,  also,  other  mem- 
bers belonging  to  his  family — all  residing  in  the  English 
neighborhood.  During  the  progress  of  the  war,  he  was 
placed  by  his  master  (as  a  substitute  for  himself)  in  the  army 
then  in  New  Jersey,  as  a  teamster  in  the  baggage  train. 
He  was  in  active  service  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  not  only 
witnessing,  but  taking  a  part  in,  the  struggle  of  that  day. 
He  was  also  in  several  other  enjjagements  in  different  sec- 
tions  of  that  part  of  the  State.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of 
General  Washington,  and  was,  at  one  time,  attached  to  his 
baggage  train,  and  received  the  General's  commendation  for  his 
courage  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  Mr.  Charlton 
was  about  fifteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age  when  placed  in  the 
army,  for  which  his  master  rewarded  him  with  a  silver  dol- 
lar. At  the  expiration  of  his  time,  he  returned  to  his  mas- 
ter, to  serve  again  in  bondage,  after  having  toiled,  fought  and 
bled  for  liberty,  in  common  with  the  regular  soldiery.  Mr. 
M.,  at  his  death,  by  will,  liberated  his  slaves,  and  provided  a 
pension  for  Charlton,  to  be  paid  during  his  lifetime. 

Quack  Matrick,  of  Stougliton  Corner,  was  a  regular  liev- 
olutionary  soldier,  and  drew  a  pension. 


I'ATIIIOTISM   OP  COLORED  AMEUICANS. 


ir> 


In  the  engravings  of  Washington  crossing  the  Delaware,  o 
the  evening  previous  to  the  battle  of  Trent(  n,  Dec.  2r)th, 
1779,  a  cofored  soldier  is  seen,  on  horscbaek,  quite  promi- 
nent, near  the  Commander-in-Chief,  —  the  same  figure  that, 
in  other  sketches,  is  seen  pulling  the  stroke  oar  in  that  mem- 
orable crossing.  This  colored  soldier  was  Prince  Whipple, 
body-guard  to  Gen.  Whipple,  of  New  Hampshire,  who  was 
Aid  to  General  Washington. 

The  names  of  the  two  brave  men  of  color  who  fell,  with 
Ledyard,  at  the  storming  of  Fort  Griswold,  were  Lanibo 
Latham  and  Jordan  Freeman.  When  Major  Jllontgomery, 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  expedition  against  the  Americans, 
was  lifted  upon  the  walls  of  the  fort  by  his  soldiers,  flourish- 
ing his  sword  and  calling  on  them  to  follow  him,  Jordan 
Freeman  received  him  on  the  point  of  a  pike,  and  pinned  him 
dead  to  the  earth.  •  "'f 

Ebenezer  Hills  died  at  Vienna,  New  York,  August,  1849, 
aged  one  hundred  and  ten.  He  was  born  a  slave,  in  Stoning- 
ton,  Connecticut,  and  became  free  when  twenty-eight  years  of 
age.  He  served  through  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  at 
the  battles  of  Saratoga  and  Stillwater,  and  was  present  at  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne.  -  »i^    • 

In  Washington's  Will,  special  provision  is  made  for  hi* 
"  mulatto  man  William,  calling  himself  William  Lee,'V 
granting  him  his  immediate  freedom,  an  annuity  of  thirty 
dollars  during  his  natural  life,  or  support,  if  he  preferred 
(being  incapable  of  walking  or  any  active  employment)  to 
remain  with  the  family.  "This  I  give  him,"  says  Washing- 
ton, "  as  a  testimony  of  my  sense  of  his  attachment  to  nie, 
and  for  his  faithful  services  during  the  Revolutionary  War^ 

Simon  Lee,  the  grandfather  of  William  Wells  Brown,  on 
his  mother's  side,  was  a  slave  in  Virginia,  and  served  in  the 
War  of  the  llevolution.  Although  honorably  discharged, 
with  the  other  Virginia  troops,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  ho  was 
sent  back  to  his  master,  where  ho  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  toiling  on  a  tobacco  plantation. 

Jonathan  Overton,  (says  the  Edenton  Whig,)  a  colored 
man,  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  died  at  this  place,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  one  years.  The  de- 
ceased served  under  Washington,  and  was  at  the  battle  of 
Yorktown,   besides  other   less   important  engagements.     He 


PATRIOTISM   OF  COLORED  AMERICANS. 


was  deservedly  held  in  great  respect  by  our  citixens;  for, 
apart  from  the  feeling  of  veneration  which  every  American 
must  entertain  for  the  scanty  remnant  of  Revolutionary 
heroes,  of  which  death  is  fast  depriving  us,  the  deceased  was 
personally  worthy  of  the  esteem  and  consideration  of  our 
community.  He  has  lived  among  us  longer  than  the  ordinary 
period  allotted  to  human  life,  and  always  sustained  a  charac- 
ter for  honesty,  industry,  and  integrity. 

James  Easton,  of  Bridgewater,  a  colored  ma.i,  participated 
in  the  erection  of  the  fortifications  on  Dorchester  Heights, 
under  command  of  Washington,  which  the  next  morning  so 
greatly  surprised  the  British  soldiers  then  encamped  in 
Boston. 

Job  Lewia,  of  Lancaster,  (formerly  a  slave,)  enlisted  for 
two  terms  of  three  years  each;  and  a  third  time  for  the 
remainder  of  the  war.     He  died  in  November,  1797. 

Prince  Richards,  of  East  Bridgewater,  was  a  pensioned 
Revolutionary  soldier. 

Thomas  Hollen,  of  Dorset  county,  Maryland,  was  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  attached  to  the  regiment  of  Col.  Charles 
Gouldsbury,  and  was  wounded  by  a  musket  ball  in  the  calf  of 
his  leg.  He  died  in  1816,  aged  seventy  two,  at  the  town  of 
Blackwood,  N.  J.,  and  was  buried  in  the  Snowhill  church- 
yard, east  of  Woodbury. 

The  Legislature  of  Virginia,  in  1783,  emancipated  several 
slaves  who  had  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  the  ex- 
ample was  followed  by  some  individuals,  who  wished  to  ex- 
hibit a  consistency  of  conduct  rare  even  in  those  early  days  of 
our  country's  history.  The  Baltimore  papers  of  September 
8th,  1790,  make  mention  of  the  fact  that  Hon.  General 
Gates,  before  taking  his  departure,  with  his  lady,  for  their 
new  and  elegant  seat  on  the  hanks  of  the  East  River,  sum- 
moned his  numerous  family  and  slaves  about  him,  and,  amidst 
their  tears  of  affection  and  gratitude,  gave  them  their  free- 
dom ;  and,  what  was  still  better,  made  provision  that  their 
liberty  should  be  a  blessing  to  them. 

During  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  Legislature  of  New 
York  passed  an  Act  granting  freedom  to  all  slaves  who 
should  serve  in  the  army  for  three  years,  or  until  regularly 
discharged.     (See  1  Kent's  Com.,  p.  255.) 


PATRIOTISM  OF  COIiORED  A3IERTCANS. 


17 


Rev.  Theodore  Parker,  in  a  letter  to  the  author  of  "  The 
Colored  Patriots  of  the  American  llevolution,''  says:  — 


"  Not  long  ago,  while  the  excavations  for  the  vaults  of  the 
great  retail  dry  goods  store  of  New  York  were  going  on, 
a  gentleman  from  Boston  noticed  a  large  quantity  of  human 
bones  thrown  up  by  the  workmen.  Everybody  knows  the 
African  countenance :  the  skulls  also  bore  unmistal  able 
marks  of  the  race  they  belonged  to.  They  were  shovelled  up 
with  the  earth  which  they  had  rested  in,  carted  oif  and  emp- 
tied into  the  sea  to  fill  up  a  chasm,  and  make  the  foundation 
of  a  warehouse. 

"On  inquiry,  the  Bostonian  learned  that  these  were  the 
bones  of  colored  American  soldiers,  who  fell  in  the  disastrous 
battles  of  Long  Island,  in  177(),  and  of  such  as  died  of  the 
wounds  then  received.  At  that  day,  as  at  this,  spite  of  the 
declaration  that  'all  men  are  created  equal,'  the  prejudice 
against  the  colored  man  was  intensely  strong.  The  black  and 
the  white  had  fought  against  the  same  enemy,  under  the  same 
banner,  contending  for  the  same  'unalienable  right'  to  life, 
liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  The  same  shot  with 
promiscuous  slaughter  had  mowed  down  Africans  and  Amer- 
icans. But  in  the  grave,  they  must  be  divided.  On  the  bat- 
tle-field, the  blacks  and  whites  had  mixed  their  bravery  and 
their  blood,  but  their  ashes  must  not  mingle  in  the  bosom  of 
their  common  mother.  The  white  Saxon,  exclusive  and 
haughty  even  in  his  burial,  must  have  his  place  of  rest  proudly 
apart  from  the  grave  of  the  African  he  had  once  enslaved. 

"  Now,  after  seventy-five  years  have  passed  by,  the  bones 
of  these  forgotten  victims  of  the  Revolution  are  shovelled  up 
by  Irish  laborers,  carted  off,  and  shot  into  the  sea,  as  the 
rubbish  of  the  town.     Had  they  been  white  men's  relics,  how  / 
would  they  have  been  honored  with  sumptuous  burial  anew,  / 
and  the  purchased  prayers  and  preaching  of  Christian  di- ; 
vines  !     Now,  they  are  the  rubbish  of  the  street ! 

"  True,  they  were  the  bones  of  Revolutionary  soldiers, — 
but  they  were  blacky  men;  and  shall  a  city  that  kidnaps  its 
citizens,  honor  a  negro  with  a  grave?  What  boots  it  that  he 
fought  for  our  freedom  ;  that  he  bled  for  our  liberty  ;  that  he 
died  for  you  and  nie?  Does  the  'nigger'  deserve  a  tomb? 
Ask  the  American  State — the  American  Church  ! 


# 


PATRIOTISM  OF  COLORED  AMERICANS. 


/ 


"  Three  quarters  of  a  century  have  passed  by  since  the  re- 
treat from  Long  Island.  What  a  change  since  then  !  From 
the  Washington  of  that  day  to  the  world's  Washington  of 
this,  what  a  change !  In  America,  what  alterations !  What 
a  change  in  England !  The  Briton  has  emancipated  every 
bondman ;  slavery  no  longer  burns  his  soil  on  either  Continent, 
the  East  or  West.  America  has  a  population  of  slaves 
greater  than  the  people  of  all  England  in  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth. Under  the  pavement  of  Broadway,  beneath  the  walls 
of  the  Bazaar,  there  still  lie  the  bones  of  the  colored  martyrs 
to  American  Independence.  Dandies  of  either  sex  swarm 
gaily  over  the  threshold,  heedless  of  the  dead  African,  con- 
temptuous of  the  living.  And  while  these  faithful  bones 
were  getting  shovelled  up  and  carted  to  the  sea,  there  was  a 
great  slave-hunt  in  New  York :  a  man  was  kidnapped  and 
cariied  off  to  bonda  o  by  the  citizens,  at  the  instigation  of 
politicians,  and  to  the  sacramental  delight  of  *  divines.* 

"  Happy  are  the  dead  Africans,  whom  British  shot  mowed 
down !  They  did  not  live  to  see  a  man  kidnapped  in  the  city 
which  their  blood  helped  free." 

The  poor  requital  for  the  colored  man's  valor  was  forcibly 
alluded  to  by  Henry  H.  Garnet  at  the  anniversary  of  the 
Anti-Slavery  Society,  in  New  York  city,  May,  1840.  "  It  is 
with  pride,"  said  he,  "  that  I  remember,  that  in  the  earliest 
attempts  to  establish  democracy  in  this  hemisphere,  colored 
men  stood  by  the  side  of  your  fathers,  and  shared  with 
them  the  toils  of  the  Eevolution.  When  Freedom,  that  had 
been  chased  over  half  the  world,  at  last  thought  she  had 
here  found  a  shelter,  and  held  out  her  hands  for  protection, 
the  tearful  eye  of  the  colored  man,  in  many  instances,  gazed 
with  pity  upon  her  tattered  garments,  and  ran  to  her  relief. 
Many  fell  in  her  defence,  and  the  grateful  soil  received  them 
affectionately  into  its  bosom.  No  monumental  piles  distin- 
guish their  'dreamless  beds';  scarcely  an  inch  on  the  page 
of  history  has  been  appropriated  to  their  memory ;  yet  truth 
will  give  them  a  share  of  the  fame  that  was  reaped  upon 
the  fields  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill ;  truth  will  affirm 
that  they  participated  in  the  immortal  honor  that  adorned 
the  brow  of  the  illustrious  Washington." 


;i 


/ 


PATRIOXISM  OF  C0IX)RB1>  AMERRANS. 

GEN.    JACKSON'S    PROCLAMATION 


ID 


» 


"  Headquarters,  Seventh  Military  Dis'^'iict,  ) 
MoBiiJc,  September  21,  1814.  \ 

••  To  the  Free  Colored  Inliahitants  of  Louisiana  : 

Through  a  mistaken  policy,  you  have  been  heretofore 
deprived  of  a  participation  in  the  glorious  struggle  for  na- 
tional rights  in  which  our  country  is  engaged.  This  no  longer 
shall  exist. 

As  sons  of  freedom,  you  arc  now  called  upon  to  defend  our 
most  inestimable  blessing.  As  Americans,  your  country 
looks  with  confidence  to  her  adopted  children  for  a  valorous 
support,  as  a  faithful  return  for  the  advantages  enjoyed  under 
her  mild  and  equitable  government.  As  fathers,  husbands, 
and  brothers,  you  are  summoned  to  rally  around  the  standard 
of  the  eagle  to  defend  all  which  is  dear  in  existence. 

Your  country,  although  calling  for  your  exertions,  docs 
not  wish  you  to  engage  in  her  cause  without  remuner- 
ating you  for  the  services  rendered.  Your  intelligent  minds 
are  not  to  be  led  away  by  false  representations.  Your  love  of 
honor  would  cause  you  to  despise  the  man  who  should  attempt 
to  deceive  you.  With  the  sincerity  of  a  soldier  and  the  lan- 
guage of  truth  I  address  you. 

To  every  noble-hearted  freeman  of  color  volunteering  to 
serve  during  the  present  contest  with  Great  Britain,  and 
no  longer,  there  will  be  paid  the  same  bounty,  in  money 
and  1u,nds,  now  received  by  the  white  soldiers  of  the  United 
States,  viz :  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  dollars  in  money, 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  The  non-commis- 
sioned ofl&cers  and  privates  will  also  be  entitled  to  the  same 
monthly  pay,  daily  rations  and  clothes  furnished  to  any 
American  soldier. 

On  enrolling  yourselves  in  companies,  the  Major-General 
commanding  will  select  officers  for  your  government  from 
your  white  fellow-citizens.  Your  non-commissioned  officers 
will  be  appointed  from  among  yourselves. 

Due  regard  will  be  paid  to  the  feelings  of  freemen  and 
soldiers.  You  will  not,  by  being  associated  with  white  men 
in  the  same  corps,  be  exposed  to  improper  compar'.son  or 


10 


PATRIOTISM   OF  COLORED  AMERICANS. 


unjust  sarcasm.  As  a  distinct,  independent  battalion  or  reg- 
iment, pursuing  the  path  of  glory,  jou  will,  undivided,  re- 
ceive the  applause  and  gratitude  of  your  countrymen. 

To  assure  you  of  the  sincerity  of  my  intentions,  and  my 
anxiety  to  engage  your  invaluable  services  to  our  country,  I 
have  communicated  my  wishes  to  the  Governor  of  Louisiana, 
who  is  fully  informed  as  to  the  manner  of  enrolments,  and 
will  give  you  every  necessary  information  on  the  subject  of 
this  address. 

ANDREW   JACKSON, 

Major-General  Commanding. 


f 


December  18,  1814,  General  Jackson  issued,  in  the  French 
language,  the  following  address  to  the  colored  members  of  his 
army :  — 

*' Soldiers! —When,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mobile,  I  called 
jou  to  take  up  arms,  inviting  you  to  partake  the  perils  and 
glory  of  your  white  fellow-citizens,  I  expected  much  from 
you ;  for  I  was  not  ignorant  that  you  possessed  qualities 
most  formidable  to  an  invading  enemy.  I  knew  with  what 
fortitude  you  could  endure  hunger  and  thirst,  and  all  the 
fatigues  of  a  campaign.  I  knew  well  how  you  loved  your 
native  country^  and  that  you,  as  well  as  ourselves,  had  to 
defend  what  ?72a?i  holds  most  dear — his  parents,  wife,  chil- 
dren, and  property.  You  ham  done  more  than  I  expected. 
In  addition  to  the  previous  qualities  I  before  knew  you  to 
possess,  I  found  among  you  a  noble  enthusiasm,  which  leads 
to  the  performance  of  great  things. 

"  Soldiers !  the  President  of  the  United  States  shall  hear 
how  praiseworthy  was  your  conduct  in  the  hour  of  danger, 
and  the  representatives  of  the  American  people  will  give  you 
the  praise  your  exploits  entitle  you  to.^  Your  General  antic- 
ipates them  in  applauding  your  noble  ardor.        '  ' 

"  The  enemy  approaches ;  his  vessels  cover  our  lakes ;  our 
brave  citizens  are  united,  and  all  contention  has  ceased  among 
them.  Their  only  dispute  is,  who  shall  win  the  prize  of  valor, 
or  who  the  most  glory,  its  noblest  reward. 

**  By  orde", 

V  .  "THOMAS  BUTLER,  Aid-de-Camp.'' 


u^^^o 


PATRIOTISM  OP   COLORED   AMERICANS. 


21 


The  New  Orleans  Picayune,  in  an  account  of  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  liattlo  of  New  Orloann,  in  that  city,  in  1(S51, 
atiys :  — 

"Not  the  least  interesting,  although  the  most  novel  feature 
of  the  proceasion  yesterday,  was  the  presence  of  ninety  of  the 
colored  veterans  who  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  dangers 
of  the  day  they  were  now  for  the  tirst  time  called  to  assist  in 
celebrating,  and  who,  by  their  good  conduct  in  presence  of  the 
enemy,  deserved  and  received  the  approbation  of  their  illus- 
trious comniander-in-chief.  During  the  thirty-six  years  that 
have  passed  away  since  they  assisted  to  repel  the  invaders 
from  our  shores,  these  faithful  men  have  never  before  partic- 
ipated in  the  annual  rejoicings  for  the  victory  which  their 
valor  contributed  to  gain.  Their  good  deeds  have  been  con- 
secrated only  in  their  memories,  or  lived  but  to  claim  a  pass- 
ing notice  on  the  page  of  the  historian.  Yet,  who  more  than 
they  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  country,  and  the  gratitude  of 
succeeding  generations?  Who  rallied  with  more  alacrity  in 
response  to  the  summons  of  danger  ?  Who  endured  more 
cheerfully  the  hardships  of  the  camp,  or  faced  with  greater 
courage  the  perils  of  the  fight  ?  If,  in  that  hazardous  hour, 
when  our  homes  were  menaced  with  the  horrors  of  war,  we 
did  not  disdain  to  call  upon  the  colored  population  to  assist 
in  repelling  the  invading  horde,  we  should  not,  when  the  dan- 
ger is  past,  refuse  to  permit  them  to  unite  with  us  in  cele- 
brating the  glorious  event,  which  they  helped  to  make  so 
memorable  an  epoch  in  our  history.  We  were  not  too  exalted 
to  mingle  with  them  in  the  affray ;  they  were  not  too  humble 
to  join  in  our  rejoicings. 

"Such,  we  think,  is  the  universal  opinion  of  our  citizens. 
We  conversed  with  many  yesterday,  and,  without  exception, 
4<xO  (xd,  ^^^  expressed  approval  of  the  invitation  which  had  been 
extended  to  the  colored  veterans  to  take  part  in  the  ceremo- 
nies of  the  day,  and  gratification  at  seeing  them  in  a  conspic- 
uous place  in  the  procession. 

"  The  respectability  of  their  appearance,  and  the  modesty 
of  their  demeanor,  made  an  impression  on  every  observer, 
and  elicited  unqualified  approbation.  Indeed,  though  in 
saying  so  we  do  not  mean  disrespect  to  any  one  else,  we 
think  that  they  constituted  decidedly  the  most  interesting  por- 
tion of  the  pageant,  as  they  certainly  attracted  the  most 
attention." 


ii 


PATRIOTISM   OP  COLORED  AMERICANS. 


The  editor,  after  further  remarks  upon  the  proccsHion, 
and  adding  of  its  colored  members,  "  We  reflected,  that 
beneath  their  dark  bosoms  were  sheltered  faithful  hearts, 
susceptible  of  the  noblest  impulses,"  thus  alludes  to  the  free 
colored  population  of  New  Orleans  :  — 

"  As  a  class,  they  are  peaceable,  orderly,  and  respectable 
people,  and  many  of  them  own  large  amounts  of  property 
among  us.  Their  interests,  their  homes,  and  their  aflFcctions 
are  here,  and  such  strong  ties  are  not  easily  broken  by  the 
force  of  theoretical  philanthropy,  or  imaginative  sentimental- 
ity. They  have  been  true  hitherto,  and  we  will  not  do 
them  the  injustice  to  doubt  a  continuance  of  their  fidelity. 
While  they  may  bo  certain  that  insubordination  will  be 
promptly  punished,  deserving  actions  will  always  meet  with 
their  due  reward  iu  the  esteem  and  gratitude  of  the  commu- 
nity." . 

Yet,  if  five,  oven  of  these  veterans,  should  at  any  time  be 
seen  talking  together,  they  are  liable  to  be  arrested  for  con- 
spiracy, according  to  the  laws  of  Louisiana ! 

Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  in  his  spsech  in  Congress,  on 
the  Imprisonment  of  Colored  Seamen,  September,  1850,  bore 
this  testimony  to  the  gallant  conduct  of  the  colored  soldiers 
at  New  Orleans:  — 

"  I  have  an  impression  that,  not,  indeed,  in  these  piping 
times  of  peace,  but  in  the  time  of  war,  when  quite  a  boy,  I 
have  seen  black  soldiers  enlisted,  who  did  faithful  and  excel- 
lent service.  But,  however  it  may  have  been  in  the  Northern 
States,  I  can  tell  the  Senator  what  happened  in  the  Southern 
States  at  this  period.  1  believe  that  I  shall  be  borne  out  iu 
saying,  that  no  regiments  did  better  service,  at  New  Orleans, 
than  did  the  black  regiments,  which  were  organized  under 
the  direction  of  General  Jackson  himself,  after  a  most  glori- 
ous appeal  to  the  patriotism  and  honor  of  the  people  of  color 
of  that  region ;  and  which,  after  they  came  out  of  the  war, 
received  the  thanks  of  General  Jackson,  in  a  proclamation 
which  has  been  thought  worthy  of  being  inscribed  on  the 
pages  of  history." 

Chalmette  Plains,  the  scene  of  the  famous  Battle  of  New 
Orleans,  arc  five  miles  below  that  city,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 


il! 


PATRIOTISM   OF  COLORED   A>iKRICANH. 


23 


Mississippi.  There  is  fin  elaborate  engraving  of  tia/  Sattlo, 
eighteen  by  twenty  inches,  executed  by  M.  Hyacinth  Laelotto, 
the  eorrectnesH  of  which  was  certified  tu  by  eleven  of  the  su- 
perior officers  residing  in  New  Orleans,  July  15,  1815,  when 
the  drawing  was  completed. 

The  report  "  No.  8,"  from  the  Amcricran  Army,  corrobo- 
rates the  following  interesting  statements,  which  wero  fur- 
nished to  the  author  of  "  The  Colored  Patriots  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution"  by  Wm.  II.  Day,  Esq.,  of  Cleveland:  — 

"  From  an  authenticated  chart,  belonging  to  a  soldier 
friend,  I  find  that,  in  the  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  Major- 
General  Andrew  Jackson,  Commander-in-Chief,  and  his  stuff, 
were  just  at  the  right  of  the  advancing  left  column  of  the 
British,  and  that  very  near  him  were  stationed  the  colored 
soldiers.  He  is  numbered  6,  and  the  position  of  the  colored 
soldiers,  8.  The  chart  explanation  of  No.  8  reads  thus:  — 
'  8.  Captains  Dominique  and  Bluche,  two  24  pounders ; 
Major  Lacoste's  battalion,  formed  of  the  men  of  color  of 
New  Orleans,  and  Major  Daquin's  battalion,  formed  of  the 
men  of  color  of  St.  Domingo,  under  Major  Savary,  second  in 
command.' 

"  They  occupied  no  mean  pla^e,  and  did  no  mean  service. 

"  From  other  documents  in  my  possession,  I  am  able  to 
state  the  number  of  the  '  battalion  of  St.  Domingo  men  of 
color '  to  have  been  one  hundred  and  fifty ;  and  of  '  Major 
Lacoste's  battalion  of  Louisiana  men  of  color,'  two  hundred 
and  eighty. 

"  Thus  were  over  four  hundred  '  men  of  color '  in  that  bat- 
tle. When  it  is  remembered  that  the  whole  number  of  sol- 
diers claimed  by  Americans  to  have  been  in  that  battle 
reached  only  3,600,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  '  men  of  color  * 
were  present  in  much  larger  proportion  than  their  numbers 
in  the  country  warranted. 

"  Neither  was  there  colorphobia  then.  Major  Planche's 
battalion  of  uniformed  volunteer  companies,  and  Major  La- 
coste's '  men  of  color,'  wrought  together  ;  so,  also,  did  Major 
Daquin's  '  men  of  color,'  and  the  44th,  under  Captain  Baker. 

•'  Great  Britain  had  her  colored  soldiers  in  that  battle ; 
the  United  States  had  hers.  Great  Britain's  became  free- 
men and  citizens :  those  of  the  United  States  continued  only 
half-free  and  slaves." 


24 


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24 


PATRIOTISM   OF   COLORED   AMERICANS. 


During  the  war  of  1812,  Oapt.  Perry,  writing  to  Commo- 
dore Chauncy,  the  senior  officer,  said — "The  men  that  came 
by  Mr.  Ciiainplin  are  a  motley  set — blacks,  soldiers,  and 
boys.  I  am,  however,  pleased  to  see  any  thing  in  the  shape 
of  a  man."  The  following  letter  was  sent  by  Commodore 
Chauncy  in  reply :  —         -     -  *  y  .       ~< 

.      7  7^'     '■  "On  Boaui>  the  Pike,  off  Bitrlingtox  Bay,)  * 

,    .•  ,    '  ;-     .->i.        J«ly  13th.  S 

"  Sm,  — I  have  been  duly  honored  with' your  letters  of  the  23d  and  2Gtli 
ultimo,  and  notice  your  anxiety  for  men  and  officers.  I  am  equally  anxious 
to  furnish  you,  and  no  time  shall  be  lost  in  sending  officers  and  men  to 
you,  as  soon  as  the  public  service  will  allow  me  to  send  them  from  this 
lake.  I  regret  that  you  are  not  pleased  with  the  men  sent  you  by  Messis. 
Cliamplin  and  Forrest;  for,  to  my  knowledj^c,  a  part  of  them  are  not  sur- 
passed by  any  seamen  wo  have  in  the  fleets;  and  I  have  yet  to  learn  that 
the  color  of  the  skin,  or  the  cut  and  trimmings  of  the  coat,  can  affcot  a 
man's  qualifications  or  usefulness.  I  huw.  nearly  fifty  blacks  on  board  thin 
ship,  and  many  of  them  are  amonfj  my  best  men;  and  those  people  you  call 
soldiers  have  been  to  sea  from  two  to  seventeen  years,  and  I  presume  tbat 
you  will  find  tliem  as  good  and  useful  as  any  men  on  board  of  your  vessel; 
at  least,  if  I  can  judge  by  comparison,  for  those  which  we  have  on  board 
this  ship  are  attentive  and  obedient,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  many  of 
them  excellent  seamen;  at  any  rate,  the  men  sent  to  Lake  Erie  have  been 
selected  with  a  view  of  sending  a  fair  proportion  of  petty  officers  and 
seamen,  and  I  presume,  upon  examination,  it  will  bo  found  they  are  equal 
to  those  upon  this  lake." 

During  the  Dorr  excitement,  the  colored  population  of 
Rhode  Island  received  high  encomiums  from  the  papers  of  the 
State  for  their  conduct.  The  New  York  Courier  and  En- 
quirer said :  — "  The  colored  people  of  Khode  Island  de- 
serve the  good  opinion  and  kind  feelhig  of  every  citizen  of 
the  State,  for  their  conduct  during  the  recent  troublous  times 
in  Providence.  They  promptly  volunteered  their  services  for 
any  duty  to  which  they  might  bo  useful  io  maintaining  law 
and  order.  Upwards  of  a  hundred  organized  themselves  for 
the  purpose  of  acting  as  a  city  guard  for  the  protection  of 
the  city,  and  to  extinguish  fires,  in  case  of  their  occurrence, 
while  the  citizens  were  absent  on  military  duty.  The  fathers 
of  these  people  were  distinguished  for  their  patriotism  and 
bravery  in  the  war  of  the  llevolution,  and  tho  Rhode  Island 
colored  regiment  fought,  on  one  occasion,  until  half  their 
number  were  slain.  There  was  not  a  regiment  in  the  service 
which  did  more  soldierly  duty,  or  showed  itself  more  devotedly 
patriotic." 


